Monday, June 22, 2009

The Place Where Battles are Won and Lost

In the words of Joe Lewis, a man considered by many to be the greatest fighter in the history of sport karate, battles are won and lost in the gym. What you do, and don't do in preparing for your battles, whether in the ring, in the street, or with oneself, depends on how you train.

Joe Lewis vs. Fred Wren

So it makes sense that you should treat the place where you train with some respect. It means keeping it clean and keeping your gear in working order.

I've been pretty lax on that. I keep meaning to make the necessary repairs and maintenance, but sometimes I've let other things, including training, get in the way.

Today, I pretty much went back and forth between training and cleaning and fixing things in the Carport Kwoon. I started by taking one of my old judo obis, tying it around my heavy bag, and doing entries for my ippon seio nage (shoulder throw). It may not sound like much, but it will give you a hard workout for your core and your legs. After a good 50 reps on each side, I started with my usual Monday ritual of a full-body stretch.

A great way to practice grappling moves without a partner. It also really works the core and the legs.

I think working the entries did me some good. I noticed my hips and glutes were much more warmed up and I was able to do some better stretches in that area. Following the stretches, I felt so good, I decided to do some entries for the o-goshi, the hip throw.

While resting, I looked around at my training area. There were rubber mats scattered all over the place. The hand tools that I rescued from my late father-in-law's old shed had fallen off the table saw and needed to be picked up. And I still hadn't finished the sweeping I started last week.

I set about laying out the rubber mats around the wooden dummy. I even trimmed one of the mats and attached it to a complete one, making for a snug fit between the dummy's supports.

That done, I did some huen saos (circling hands) and pak sao da (palm block and hit) drills. The new, snug fit for the mats held, giving me a much safer place to do the dummy work. I won't have to worry about sliding on the mats. That means I won't have to choose between using the mats and minimizing impact on my joints, or not using the mats and having to worry about slipping.

I wanted to do more, both with training, cleaning and repairs, but my wife's car was in the shop. Being a one-car family meant I had to pick her up at work.

About Me

For most of my adult life, I have worked as a professional writer, journalist, editor and photojournalist. My work has appeared in a number of newspapers, magazines, books and blogs, including: The Tampa Tribune; The St. Petersburg Times; USF Magazine; FIGHT!; Black Belt; Inside Kung Fu; The Advisor; The Caroler and many others.
I live in Tampa, Florida with my wife, Roxanne, our son, Vitaly and several quadrupeds.